December Favourites 2016!

Welcome to my last favourites post for 2016! I’ve decided I’m going to continue these monthly posts for 2017 as I really enjoy putting them together. In the Southern Hemisphere, December is the first month of summer so ultimately I enjoyed being outside more, the heat and lots of yummy fresh fruit. Not only that it was Christmas, so needless to say I was pretty busy this month. Let’s see what I was loving!

I believe round towels are absolutely essential in summer. They are perfect for picnics in the park or sunbathing on the beach. You can find them in most fashion stores now with a vast array of cool prints. I picked mine up at Cotton On and couldn’t resist the Yin & Yang tribal design. The picture above was taken when my mum and I went to visit the stunning Forest Glade Gardens in Macedon, Victoria. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was so relaxed lying on the grass eating fresh watermelon and cherries. Round towels are best used as blankets so grab a group of friends, pack some fruit, load up the car and make some incredible summer memories!

I really love the brand INIKA. Not only are they 100% vegan, cruelty-free and organic but all of their products are of high quality. The only downside is they are pretty pricey so I don’t shop from there often. What I do love and have been using daily, is their Crème Eye Shadow in the shade ‘Pink Cloud’ as both an eye shadow and highlighter on my cheekbones, bridge of my nose and brow bone. I’m not a big wearer of makeup so a slight dewy illumination on my face gives me a more natural looking glow. Despite the tube being quite small, you only need the smallest amount for application. They have such a wide range of products so check them out and support the cruelty-free/vegan brands.

Like self-love, positivity is a choice we make every single day. It is no secret that it’s easier to be a pessimist than an optimist so this wonderful journal really helps keep its users in check. It is filled with prompts and deep questions that awaken joy within. I really had to think about some of my answers and it honestly left me feeling happier and more positive. The journal is divided into five parts: Positivity, Perspective, Gratitude, Goodness & Happiness. The design is gorgeous and most pages are filled with inspiring quotes about gratitude and new perspectives. If you need a pick me up and love journaling as much as I do, I recommend buying this journal!

4.) YouTuber – Noodlerella

Anybody who knows me, knows I am Disney obsessed! Well, so is the adorable British ‘Noodlerella’ (AKA Connie) and I discovered her incredible YouTube Channel in December by accident. It wasn’t long before I had binge-watched every single one of her videos and was a much happier woman for it. Connie is a talented soprano singer and impressionist who films wonderful covers of Disney and other pop-culture related songs. She is quite talented at voice acting and cosplaying. Basically, every single thing I love (Sailor Moon, Disney, Nintendo, Nightmare Before Christmas and more) she does too and features them all on her channel. If you get a chance, watch the video above and everything else she has to offer. You’ll fall in love!

This movie is so heartwarming and sweet, I absolutely loved it! Set in the fictional world of Zootopia (or Zootropolis if you’re in the UK), Judy Hopps is the first ever bunny policewoman hellbent on proving herself. At the station, she is given the job of meter-maid because none of her colleagues/boss believe in her abilities. She decides to do the best damn job she can do and in the process, meets shifty fox Nick Wilde, who cons her. Together, they find themselves on a case to locate a missing person and form an unlikely friendship. Zootopia is about chasing your dreams, believing in yourself and not judging a book by its cover. My favourite character was Flash the Sloth as I love sloths & he was super adorable! I highly recommend watching it if you haven’t already!

I know I’m supposed to be an adult and married woman now but my rainbow coloured Alpaca from Alpacasso was one of my December highlights. He was a bit of an impulse buy but once the purchase was made, I was super excited to receive this gorgeous, bright plush. I named him Mango as it’s one of my favourite fruits and is back in season for the summer. I love the way he’s made and as you can see by the pictures, he’s quite large and cuddly. The best part about Mango is he can be the first toy our children receive and they can continue to love him for years to come. The Alpacasso range is huge so I need to restrain myself from collecting more of them!

I have been wanting my own terrarium for a while so when my friend at work showed off her lovely new custom-made one, I asked her how to get my own. Her friend Valerie has a store on Instagram where she takes your requests/ideas and produces beautiful & affordable terrariums. I told Valerie I loved the colour blue so she put together this lovely beach scene with a low maintenance air plant. She also sent me a list of instructions on how to take care of it. I would check out her store for unique designs and jars! They are the nicest home or office decor pieces.

8.) Memory – Best Moment of December 2016

The best moment of December 2016 was my mini summer getaway to Anglesea after Christmas with my mum and husband. My auntie owns a caravan there and let us use it whilst the family was away in Queensland. I particularly loved the beach there and I finally got to do the Surf Coast Walk which took us all the way to Point Roadknight. It was probably one of the best hikes I’ve ever done and we did ours completely barefoot. I really love going away for New Years so I was very happy and grateful for the opportunity to do so once again with the two people I love most in the world. I will post an Anglesea photo diary the following week so you can see more of our adventures.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog, it means the absolute world to me. I will continue blogging weekly in 2017 as well as completing another 30 Day Challenge in April. Please leave any comments or suggestions below.

Peace & Love xoxo

Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own

4 thoughts on “December Favourites 2016!”

I really like your monthly recaps, Bec. This has got to be my favourite one so far because most of the things I’ve either heard of or resonated with me 🙂 Now I walk past Cotton On in Melbourne Central pretty much every day and these few months I’ve been seeing those colourful beach rugs! They look so attracted and the one you picked our seems to fit you so well.

INIKA is something I’ve also seen around in the city, and I actually thought of you when I saw it. Their lipsticks looked particularly colourful to me 😀 But this year I hope to not use so much makeup at all (going barefaced to work and all) and want to focus on skincare instead. At the end of last year I started using face oil on my skin and it improved my skin so much (less dry by a long shot) that I’ve been only using concealer under my eyes each day 😀

You know I love Disney too and heard of Noodlerella through Instagram. Making a mental note to check out her YouTube videos! Also, don’t know if you have seen this video of Disney Princesses recently, and it has Lindsey Stirling in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc_HhuikGCc

Mango – so honoured to have met him and he is the sweetest!

So happy to you had a great trip to Anglesea and I cannot wait to read your blog about it! Best wishes for the New Year and catch up soon my beautiful friend x

Hi Mabel! Thank you so much for your kind words as always and support. I’m so glad you could really relate to this one! Good work on going barefaced, I am trying oils out too. It’s a bit of a trial and error with sensitive skin so it’s great when you find one that works! Ooh I love this YouTube video thank you for linking it to me! Best wishes for the new year to you too my friend! xxxx